We ran across the name of the brewery by accident while in Kona, so we thought we would give it a try. We were pleasantly surprised by the good selection and flavor of beer. Both my wife and I truly appreciated the friendly bookkeeper and guy from KY while we visited and tried the beer. If you get a chance to visit Hilo stop by.

(Visited 12/2010): Drove over to Mehana during a stop on the big island on our cruise vacation. It is located on Kawili not too far from Rte 11 and the airport. The place is pretty non-descript from the outside and has limited parking right by the building.

The taproom inside has a small bar and merchandise. They have 6 beers split evenly between Hawai's and Mehana. A tasting flight is available for $10. The beers are the standard Lager, Pale, Red Ale and IPA plus a Porter and seasonal Strong Ale. They range from average to above average.

Service on a slow weekday was fine at the bar. The server knew all the beers. Unfortunately they do not offer tours though.

Overall this tap room is worth visiting if only to try a bunch of the local offerings at once. Not really a beer destination beyond that but I was glad I visited.

My new wife and I stopped by here on the way out of Hilo. It was just after 9AM and they were open for tasting. A great surprise. I found the beers overall very tasty. After living in Portland for a year I have to admit I wasn't expecting much. The beers seemed a bit light for each style but that is actually perfect for the Hawaiian climate, the beers retained a great flavor and didn't taste watered down at all. I wish this brewery was a local one, the growler refills were $7-8.

Due to the distance from Kona I wouldn't recommend a trip over just for this brewery but if you're in the area it is a definitely a place to check out.

While in Hilo doing some things at UH-Hilo, my fiance and I decided to stop by the Mehana Brew Co. This was the first time that I had been to the Brewhouse, because it was a little hard to find at first. Now, I would have no problem finding it every time.

We first walked in to, pretty much, the brewhouse itself. Kegs stacked upon kegs, guys in jeans and boots around, etc.. As you head in the entrance, the tasting room/gift shop is on the left. The room is very small, or quaint, if you would rather. They had six brews on draught, three from HNui and three from Mehana. There were two other couples in the room with us who did the tasting ($10 very reasonable) with us. Because of the size of the room, we got to know each other very well. The six beers on draught were not anything that you couldn't find in the local ABC or KTA store here locally, which was a little disappointing. The only one that I had not tried was the Tsunami IPA by HNui, which was a nice surprise. I was also excited to see a seasonal or two that both Mehana and HNui were producing, but were not available. The staff was pretty knowledgable, I was surprised because I had been drinking these two breweries for a while, and she was able to answer my questions with a vote of confidence, that I felt refreshing.

If you are here on the Big Island, and have some time to spend in Hilo, make sure to stop by and check this joint out. Even though you will not be WOWed by your experience, it is a really cool thing to do while in town. And who knows, maybe you will be WOWed by the Hapa Brown, or the Mehana Hawaiian Crow Porter, and it will make your trip that much more enjoyable. Hopefully they will have some seasonals to taste as well. Enjoy your stay!